Strangers (49 page)

He waited to see what she’d do.
He hoped she wouldn’t rush into the sea.
It looked bloody cold, and he really didn’t want to get any wetter.
He sent another text.

Right now

Kate turned.
For a tiny, heart-stopping moment, he thought he saw a smile on her face and then it disappeared.
As he walked toward her, she got to her feet.
Charlie wanted to run and sweep her into his arms but he was scared she’d push him away.
It was what he deserved.
He stood in front of her.
He had so much inside him he wanted to say, and now he found he couldn’t speak.

Kate blinked, and he was still there.
He held out his hand and opened his fingers.
In the middle of his palm lay the last piece of jigsaw.

“Sorry,” he said.

She couldn’t tell whether the water on his face came from his eyes or the rain.

“I ransacked the apartment looking for that piece,” she said.
“When did you take it?”

“The moment you opened the box.”

He opened his other hand and there lay the silver star she’d left under her pillow.
He took a step closer, and Kate edged away.
She saw his shoulders slump a little, and then he straightened and looked right at her.

“I’ve come to save you,” he said.
“I’m ready to slay dragons, repel pirates, eviscerate mutants and strangle seaweed.”

Kate thought for a moment.
“How about fighting off a T-Rex?”

Charlie sucked his teeth.
“Er, no, that’s not in my job description.
If you meet a T-Rex, you’re on your own.”

He took a step nearer and this time Kate stood her ground.

“So, do you come here often?” he asked.

“Only when I need saving, but if you can’t face a T-Rex, maybe you’re no use to me.”

“I was only joking about the T-Rex.
Point him out.
I won’t ever let anything hurt you.”

“You can’t promise that, Charlie.”

He pulled up his collar and rubbed the rain from his eyes.
“Then I promise I’ll never hurt you again.
I know I let you down and I’m sorry.
I should have believed you.”

“What about Jody Morton?” Kate stared straight at him.
His gaze didn’t flicker from hers.

“She’s gone back to the States.”

“So, did—?”

“I never slept with her, Kate.
She and Ethan arranged it so you’d find us.
I heard her phone ring and I guess that was her signal to—” Charlie stopped.

“But you were going to.”

He looked down.
Kate saw the shame on his face.
His hands hung limp at his sides.

“Why did Ethan do that?
What had I done?” she asked.

“Nothing.
You’d done nothing.
I think Jody told Ethan he’d be her agent if he got the pair of us together.
I don’t even like her.
I’m sorry.
Please tell me you forgive me.”

“Why were you going to have sex with her if you didn’t like her?”

Charlie raised his head.
“Because I was hurting, because I wanted to forget you, because without you I’m weak.”

“I don’t want someone weak.”

“You make me strong.” Kate heard the catch in his voice.
“I’ve done one good thing.
I’ve sacked Ethan.
He had no right to manipulate me that way, but most of all he had no right to hurt you.” Charlie ran a hand through his damp hair.
“I also keep thinking about him wearing your underwear and it’s freaking me out.”

Kate gave a little smile.

“Ethan went too far, Kate.
He almost cost me everything I care about.” Charlie stared at her, his eyes pools of ink in the poor light.
“Maybe he has.”

“It was Nick who spoke to the papers.”

Charlie scowled.
“I heard he lost his job with Metro Radio.
They didn’t approve of the fact that one of their senior people sold a story he should have let them run.”

“So everyone is getting their just desserts?” Kate asked.

“I don’t know.
Are they?” Charlie looked at her, dark shadows under his eyes, despair all over his face.
“Let me take you home, get you warm and dry.
I’m not leaving you here, Kate.
I…” His chest heaved.
“I’m frightened to touch you because if you walk away from me, I can’t ever leave this beach.”

Kate knew she had to make the first move.
There was only one move she’d wanted to make since the message appeared on her phone and she’d turned to see him standing in front of her.
Kate opened her arms and the light in his eyes burst into a brilliant flame.
Charlie fell into her embrace.

“I’m so sorry,” he sobbed.
“I fucked up, and I thought I’d lost you.”

He clutched her so tight, Kate could hardly breathe.

“I almost did, didn’t I?
If I hadn’t got here in time?”

“I came to say goodbye, but I’m not sure I’d have gone in the sea,” Kate whispered.
“It looks a bit cold for a swim and I spotted some vicious-looking seaweed.”

Charlie pressed his face into her hair, then raised his head and nodded toward the water.
“What are all those little boats?”

“The Post-Its you stuck on my wall.”

“Oh, God.
I’ll never let you down again, I promise.” He held her head in his hands and stared into her eyes.
“Say you forgive me.”

“Would you really tackle a T-Rex?”

“In an instant.”

“Even if one’s lolloping down the beach, right now?”

Charlie paused.
“There isn’t one lolloping down the beach right now, is there?”

Kate checked over his shoulder.
“No.”

“Then yes, absolutely.”

“Okay, then,” Kate said.
“I forgive you, if you forgive me for running away.”

“But I shouldn’t have—”

Kate put her finger on his lips.
“Forgive me.”

Charlie smiled.
“I forgive you.”

He kissed her then, a tentative brushing of his lips against hers over and over until Kate nipped him with her teeth to make him stop.
He groaned as her tongue slipped into his mouth.
She groaned as his tongue slipped into hers.
Charlie kissed and teased, landing kisses all over her face, licking the rain away until Kate’s head was as cloudy as the sky.

“I love you I love you I love you I love you,” he whispered, holding her tight against him.

“Only four times?”

“I ran out of breath.
When we kiss, you suck all the air from my lungs.” He wiped a drop of rain from her nose.
“But when I’m with you, I feel at my most alive.
I don’t think I want to act anymore.
I want to be me.
I want to do something with you.
I want to know everything about you, to know your dreams and fears.
I want to help make your life what you want it to be.
Above everything else I want to make you happy.” He stroked her cheek.
“Will you let me try to make you happy?”

“Oh God, Charlie.” Kate swallowed her sob.

Charlie smiled.
“First thing I’m going to do is make it stop raining.”

“And how are—oh.” Kate laughed as the rain eased off.

Charlie bowed.
“Second thing I’m going to do is provide exciting transport to the car.
On my back.”

Kate jumped on and he staggered.

“Hey, I didn’t throw myself on you.
I was really careful,” he said with a groan.

“Do I have to use my whip?” she asked.

Charlie held her tight and began to gallop to the parking lot.
By the time they reached his car, he’d slowed to a walk and it had stopped raining.

“What’s the third thing you’re going to do?” Kate slid from his back.

“Make the sky turn blue.”

She raised her eyebrows.

“What can I say?” He beamed.
“I’m a prodigious talent.
In many ways.” His gaze dropped to his crotch.

Kate couldn’t help looking.
The ridge in his pants was unmistakable.

“Open the trunk,” she said.

Charlie’s eyes widened.
“We can’t fuck in the trunk.”

Kate bit back her laugh.
When he flipped it open, she stripped to her underwear and threw her clothes and shoes inside.

“Now you,” she said.

Charlie did as he was told and took off everything but his boxers and deck shoes.

“Good idea,” he said.
“We’re not going to make a mess in the car now.”

She smiled.
“Want a bet?”

Charlie looked at the rear seats in the convertible and groaned.
They had to be designed for legless anorexics.

“Sit on the passenger side and put the roof down,” Kate said.

“No, I’m driving.”

She stared at him.

“What?” Charlie asked.

And kept on staring.

“Think, Charlie.”

He finally got his brain in gear and leapt into the car.
Roof down, seat retracted as far as it would go, a broad smile on his face and a cock about to break into song.
Early evening and such miserable weather, no one would come to the beach now, would they?

Kate sat on his lap facing him and smiled.
The sweet contact when their lips met made Charlie forget what he’d been worrying about.
He forgot they were wet, forgot they were cold, only remembered they were together and he had Kate safe in his arms.
Well, maybe not safe but… He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

Their kisses were soft and open-mouthed, slow shifts from one angle to another as their tongues tussled in a gentle duel.
He toed off his shoes and pulled her legs down so she lay spread against him.
Not much room to move but enough.

Kate dragged her mouth from his to take a breath.
Charlie’s heart pounded as if he
was
being chased by a T-rex.

“I love you,” she whispered.

He clamped his hands over her hips.
“And I love you but if you don’t stop wriggling I’m going to disappoint us both.”

“I’m trying to get my panties off.”

“Oh, in that case…”

Charlie tried to remove his boxers at the same time.
Arms and legs wedged and tangled together, caught in an impossible game of Twister, they laughed as they struggled to maneuver.

“I’m going to swap this bloody Lexus,” he grunted.
“We’ll go round all the car showrooms and find a vehicle with enough room for us to fuck in every position.”

“A camper van?”

He laughed.

Finally naked, Kate held herself up while he yanked his shorts the rest of the way to his feet.
At last.
Then he clasped Kate’s waist and brought her creamy folds down to kiss his desperate cock.
Their laughter faded, swiftly replaced by ragged breathing.

“That feels sooo good,” she said.

“Oh Kate, Kate,” he whispered.

His balls were tight, drawn up close to the root of his cock, urging him to yank her down and fuck her hard.
But Kate impaled herself without him doing anything but sitting there.
Charlie tightened his hold on her hips as she sank down and down.
He gave a low groan at the feel of her—so wet and hot, the way her pussy held him, the warmth, the tightness.
So long as she didn’t move for a while, he’d be fine.

She moved.

Fuck. Fuck.
His cock pulsed and swelled.
No point pretending he was in control but Charlie grabbed her buttocks and dragged her down harder.
Within moments his balls hovered in a frenzy of anticipation, tingling with the need to open the floodgates, shoot down his cock to empty themselves into her.
Nownownow.
He gave up and gave in, surrendering to the moment.
Kate took over the rhythm and Charlie slid his hands to her breasts as she drove herself down on him.

To think he’d imagined slow and careful.
Charlie tried to recall if he’d ever managed that with her?
Then his brain fogged.
He had a lifetime of loving Kate ahead of him.

He slipped a hand to her mons and reached for her clit.
A flick of his finger as he bucked his hips and Kate let out a cry as she came, clamping around him, exquisite little spasms to drive his cock to oblivion.
Charlie had words he wanted to say but left them dammed up in his head, while he flooded her pussy with cum, spurting blasts of fire over and over until his cock ceased doing its own thing and he could move again.

“My beautiful girl,” he whispered and held her tight against him, his fingers still playing at the point their bodies joined.

“My gorgeous boy.”

“Hey, look up.”

Kate tilted her head back on his shoulder.

“A patch of blue sky,” Charlie said.

* * * * *

When the garage door slid closed behind them, Kate released a shaky sigh and Charlie clutched her hand.

“Do you want this house to be our home?” he asked.
“We could find somewhere else, choose a place together?”

Kate’s swollen heart neared breaking point.
“Home is wherever you are.
This is a lovely house, Charlie and I’d adore to live here.
Especially since I don’t actually have anywhere to live at the moment.
I put the flat on the market because I want to pay my father back.
I…I got rid of all my stuff.
Even the bed.”

“I bought it.”

She stared at him.

“Well, I spoke to the estate agent and asked him to talk to the owner.
I don’t know whether the offer will be accepted.
I’m not going above twenty quid.”

Kate smiled.
“How much did you really offer?”

“Ten thousand pounds.”

“I’ll take twenty.”

Charlie got out of the car.
“Sounds a bargain.”

“Twenty thousand,” Kate said as she got out the other side.

“Done.”

“You would be.”

Charlie laughed as she followed him into the house.
“Bath, bed or birthday present?” he asked.

“Present?”

He huffed.
“I’m going to try not to be upset that you’d rather have a present than go to bed with me.
It’s in the music room.”

He took her hand, pulled her down the corridor and pushed open the door.
The floor was covered in scribbled-on manuscript paper, all except for one spot next to the piano where a rectangular piece of plywood had been laid.
In the middle of the board sat a large box, so badly wrapped, Kate knew Charlie had done it himself.
She wondered if it had been there since the night she’d run.

She knelt down and ripped off the paper to reveal an eighteen-thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle—a seascape with green-tailed mermaids, a kaleidoscope of tropical fish and a dark shipwreck.

“Lots of seaweed,” Charlie said.
“I figure you have to come to terms with your fears.
Like it?”